AikiTom wrote:I guess it would be redundant to say that dbgard is misguided...(He didn't get enough attention from his parents when he was little - so be forewarned! Your kids will turn out like this if you keep them locked in a closet! )

I just wanted to pipe up and ask that people keep the personal barbs, whether serious or tongue-in-cheek, to a minimum here. The tone on these Forums has been getting a little bit disrespectful in my own eyes. I'd like to ask people to treat everyone as though they were a fellow member in your dojo in the presence of your teacher.

Sorry about the lecture...

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There's actually a more-science-than- you-want-article on this, Paul, in a recent "Aikido Today."

Are you talking about the "Woods for Training Weapons" article by James Goedkoop (of Kingfisher Woodworks) in the May/June 1999 issue? It's a good article.

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I have a really nice jo that's still going strong after 8 years that I got from bujin - it's made of kurumi wood, and is a laminate which gives extra strength. It has a nice feel to it - strong, yet light, sort of has its own spirit!

Kurumi is walnut, right? These days, Bu Jin Design uses hickory for all of their weapons, if I remember correctly.

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Jun, tell me a little about that Yagyu bokken- sounds interesting.

It's a really light bokken that I like to use for "quick" stuff or when I do two-sword practice (which is mighty rare, I'll admit). It's basically the same size as a "normal" bokken, only thinner. It has a slight sori in the blade, but not a whole lot. It often gets "crushed" by the heavier bokken that people use, though.

I currently have three or four bokken of various weights -- a light one (mentioned above), a medium-weight one, and a heavier-weight one with a hand guard (tsuba). I sometimes ask my partner what "weight" bokken they're using during kumitachi so I can get the "right" weight from my weapons bag.